RE: Windows 8 consumer preview

DAB — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:01:39 GMT

I saw them demonstrating this early version on CNBC. If you are big into the smartphone interface, it looks like it might be a good fit.

I am not sure if it will be useful to me unless it works seamlessly with my laptop and lets me do my work with it.

It looks interesting, but I need to see it do more than they have showed so far.

DAB

RE: Windows 8 consumer preview

fustini — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:10:31 GMT

Personally, I'm glad that Windows 8 won't be coming to Raspberry Pi. Manufacturers must lock down any Windows 8 ARM device so that it can't boot any other OS:

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2012/01/windows-8s-locked-bootloaders-much-ado-about-nothing-or-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it.ars

The story for ARM is rather different, however. On ARM Windows 8 systems, Microsoft's certification rules prohibit entering "custom mode"—users must not be able to add certificates of their own—and prohibit disabling secure boot completely. The ARM systems will all require the use of a signed operating system loader, and that operating system loader must be signed by Microsoft.

Raspberry Pi is a perfect example of the amazing price point which can be achieved when leveraging open source software:

Zemlin praises $25 Linux computer: a Windows license costs more than four Raspberry Pis

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2012/03/zemlin-praises-25-linux-computer-a-windows-license-costs-more-than-four-raspberry-pis.ars

Cheers,

Drew